Think of USI as a house up for sale.

How do you get someone to buy a house?

The simple answer: make it look nice.

That’s what began happening towards the end of last year.

USI rebranded itself, changed its standards, got a new logo, a new mascot – made itself marketable for those looking for a new place to call home.

I took out loans and invested in making USI my home in 2013, which I imagine is what buying a house during the 2009 market collapse was like.

People questioned my decision.

“You’re really going to buy a house? Now? Are you sure that’s smart?”

“You’re really going to go USI? Why would anyone want to go there?”

I was told USI wasn’t the “cool” place to go, or a smart investment because “nobody’s heard of it.”

Rebranding USI isn’t enough.

Yes, the administration fixed the landscape and put some new shutters on this house. They got people looking at the for-sale ad.

But what really sells a house isn’t the picture in the ad, it’s the tour the consumer takes of the house. It’s when they see the inside they determine it’s perfect for them.

This is something the administration can’t do. It can’t fix the floorboards or paint the walls.

We, as students, lay the groundwork for our reputation as a school.

We determine if it’s the “cool” place to go. We determine if people hear about us.

It starts with taking pride in your school.

Take off the IU sweatpants and the Purdue T-shirts. You go to USI.

Try staying here on the weekends for a change and combat the reputation that USI is a dead campus.

End the conversations that begin with, “There’s nothing to do here.” Get involved. There are over 200 organizations on campus. If there really isn’t one(s) you want to join, start your own.

Like those who bought a house anyway in 2009 and ended up flipping it for a profit a few short years later, I invested in USI anyway, and in a few short years, I will have made the most of it.

USI is your home. It’s time to fully move in.